How bid euchre scoring works
Under pagat.com's general rules, if the bidders take at least the tricks they bid, each side scores a point per trick it took. If they fall short they lose the bid, and the other side still scores its tricks. You win at the target only on a hand where you made a bid or set one.
| Variant | Per hand | Bids | Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double-deck Bid Euchre (48 cards) | 12 tricks | 3 to 12, Moon | 52 |
| Bid Euchre, 32 cards (Barrie) | 8 tricks | 1 to 8, Alone (2), Alone (1), Moon | 52 |
| Bid Euchre, single deck (24 cards) | 6 tricks | 3 to 6 | 32 |
| Hoosier Bid Euchre (40 cards) | 10 tricks | 1 to 9, Moon, Moon alone | 32 |
| Pepper (Iowa) | 6 tricks | 1 to 6, Little pepper, Big pepper | 42 |
| Cutthroat, 3 players (24 cards) | 7 tricks | 1 to 6, Moon | 32 |
Pepper scores differently: the bidders score just the bid, a side that plays and takes no tricks loses the bid, and the other side may drop out instead. Little and big pepper are plus or minus 7 and 14.
Example: four hands, double deck
Us bid 6 and took 7 tricks: Us +7, Them +5. Them bid 7 and took 6: set, Them go back 7 and Us score their 6. After four hands it is Us 26, Them 9. Open this example.
Questions people ask
How does bid euchre scoring work?
Made: each side scores a point for every trick it took. Set: the bidders lose what they bid and the other side still scores its tricks. Some clubs score only the bid when it is made; that is the setting "Bidders who make it score everything they took".
What is shooting the moon worth in bid euchre?
It varies. pagat lists 24 for going alone in double-deck and Barrie rules, 16 (or 32 alone) in Hoosier, and 12 or 18 for loners calling 2 or 1 cards. Clubs differ, so the moon's value is a setting.
What is the winning score in bid euchre?
pagat's versions play to 32, 50 or 52 (Pepper uses 42). Its general rules say you must reach it on a hand where you made your bid or set the bidders. In its Indiana and Scott Alber versions, if both sides get there on the same hand, the bidders win.
How is Pepper scored?
Made bids score the bid. Set, the bidders lose the bid. Defenders score a point a trick but lose the bid if they play and take none, or they can drop out for 0. Little pepper is worth 7, big pepper 14. Once a side has 42, the higher score wins.
Can it score bid euchre for 3 or 6 players?
Yes. Three players play cutthroat, each for themselves. Six can play two teams of three or three teams of two, with 8 tricks a hand from a 48-card deck.
Can we win while defending?
Under the general rules, yes, but only by setting the bidders, not with tricks taken against a bid that was made. Barrie rules say only the bidders can go out. Choose Who can go out in the rules.
Rules from pagat.com Bid Euchre (general rules and the Barrie, mid-western, Hoosier and Indiana versions) and pagat.com Pepper. House rules vary; where sources disagree the choice is yours in the rules.